Chasing the Creature
by afanoflife
Summary: A Knight of Camelot is found dead in the woods.  No one knows how he died.  The characters from Merlin joi the  characters from the Ranger's Apprentice series in order to find out what's going on.
1. Ch 1:  Prologue

**This is my first attempt at writing a crossover. It takes place during the first Ranger's Apprentice book. As of right now, I don't know which season of Merlin this takes place in. I hope that whoever decides to read this will really enjoy it. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own _Merlin_ or _The Ranger's Apprentice Series_.**

* * *

><p>Prologue<p>

It was completely dark outside. The moon and stars were hidden behind a thick layer of clouds. However, the night was not silent. It was far from it. The sounds of branches breaking, leaves crunching, and ragged breathing broke the silence of the night. Occasionally, a loud howl could be heard coming from somewhere in the woods.

Gasping for breath, a man ran through the forest as fast as he possibly he could. He had to keep running. If he stopped, it could mean his death. As he ran, branches tore at his clothing, ripping his red cloak to shreds. His face was covered in small cuts. His hair was plastered to his head by the sweat gliding down his body. At some point, he had lost his sword, and its familiar weight against his hip was no longer there as he ran. That meant the only thing he could to save himself was to run for his life, and that was exactly what the man was doing.

Behind him, the man could hear the creature gaining on him. He could hear the sounds of the creature crashing through the forest; hear the sound of its breathing as it approached; hear the sound of it howling every now and then as he continued his flight through the forest. The man had no idea what the creature was, and he did not really want to know. All he wanted to do was make it out of his current situation alive, something that was beginning to seem impossible. With each step he took, he felt his body resist. He was exhausted, bleeding, thirsty, and absolutely scared out of his mind.

He longed to stop and rest, but he continued to push his body further. As he continued to run, he let his thoughts turn to what he had been doing earlier. His day had started out perfectly normal, but that had not lasted. It had quickly descended into a nightmare the likes of which he had never witnessed before.

* * *

><p>Sir Andrew had been sent by Prince Arthur to handle a dispute in one of the small boarder villages. The dispute had been handled quickly, only requiring him to intervene a little bit. He had spent the night in the village, staying in the home of the village leader. He left early the next morning, eager to get back to Camelot and enjoy the comfort of warm food and a soft bed.<p>

As he road along, nothing much happened. He met no one as he travelled, which was fine by him. He stopped a couple of times to water his horse and to eat a little food. When night came, he made camp in a small clearing. He had just lain down on his cloak to sleep, when he heard a sound in the forest. Getting up, he had grabbed his sword and tried to locate the direction the sound had come from.

Suddenly, a large body appeared out of nowhere. He had barely managed to get out of the way when the body flew past him. Whirling around, he prepared himself for a fight. Lifting his sword, Sir Andrew was not prepared for what he found himself facing. Standing in front of him was a creature that he had never seen before. It was covered in hair from head to toe and looked to be a cross of an ape and a bear, only it was walking upright. Out of the corner of his eye, Sir Andrew saw his horse get spooked and run away.

The creature in front of him raised an arm and swiped at him. Sir Andrew didn't react fast enough, and the creature was able to knock his sword from his hand. Defenseless, Sir Andrew did the only thing he could. He ran. He ran as fast as his legs would carry him into the forest. That was how he found himself in his current situation.

* * *

><p>Sir Andrew continued to run. He stumbled along as he ran, tripping over hidden logs and getting his feet caught in roots and small holes. Eventually, his body gave out on him. He fell to his knees. Behind him, he heard the creature howl once again. Frightened, Sir Andrew tried desperately to get to his feet, but he only managed to fall again. In a desperate attempt to get away, he began to crawl forward as far as he could. He knew it was pointless though. The creature was almost on him.<p>

Suddenly, Sir Andrew was sent flying forward as the creature landed on top of him. The creature rolled off his body and stood up. Sir Andrew remained lying on the ground, groaning in pain. Rolling onto his back, Sir Andrew looked at the creature standing before him. He was slightly confused. The creature had finally caught up with him, but it was not making any move to finish him off. Instead, it was staring at him.

Sir Andrew gasped for breath as he lay on the forest floor. As he was lying there, he became overcome by a sudden urge. He suddenly found himself with the desire to look into the creature's eyes. He had no idea why, but he found himself giving in to the urge's demand.

Bringing his eyes up to the creature's face, Sir Andrew locked his eyes with it. Immediately, he found himself frozen in place. No matter how hard he tried, he could not move his body in any direction. He tried to open his mouth to call out, but even that action was denied to him.

One thought continuously ran through Sir Andrew's mind as he lay on the forest floor. He was going to die. He was going to die, lying on the forest floor, killed by a creature that he had never seen before, and no one was going to know anything about it. Terror swept through Sir Andrew as he continued to stare into the creature's eyes. The creature stared right back at him, never blinking and never breaking eye contact.

His heart began to race at an unusually fast pace. It was there on the forest floor that Sir Andrew drew in one final breath before everything went black. Sir Andrew never woke up.

* * *

><p><strong>I will do my best to update this as soon as possible. Please let me know what you thought of this chapter.<strong>


	2. Ch 2:  Following Some Rumours

**This chapter didn't quite turn out the way I planned it, but I'm still happy with it. The characters from Ranger's Apprentice will be turning up eventually, so don't worry. Hopefully, they will at least be mentioned next time. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own _Merlin _or _The Ranger's Apprentice Series._**

* * *

><p>Sir Leon had been sent by King Uther to follow up on some rumors flying around through some of the outlying villages. He and a group of three other knights had arrived in the small village of Tenebris a little over an hour ago. They had been speaking to the village leader, Miles, about some of the rumors coming from there. According to the man, people had claimed to hear odd howling in the night. Not to mention, some of their livestock had been disappearing. The same story had come from a couple of other villages they had already visited.<p>

In all honesty, Sir Leon had not been particularly worried at first. Originally, he has just assumed that it was just a wolf, something that was not terribly uncommon in most places. He told the man his thoughts, but the man had disagreed with him.

"I thought the same thing as you, my Lord," Miles replied. "However, yesterday some of the other men and I had gone towards the forest in hopes of finding some sort of hint. There we found something very strange."

Upon hearing this, Sir Leon grew interested. "Would you mind showing us what you found?"

"Not at all, my Lord," Miles answered.

Miles brought Sir Leon and his fellow knights to the edge of the forest. He brought them to a gap between two trees and knelt on the forest floor. He motioned for the other men to kneel next to him. "These are the prints we found yesterday."

Sir Leon, along with the other knights, leaned forward to get a better look. One of the knights, Sir Hirum, spoke to the group. "They just look like simple bear tracks. What's so strange about that?"

"Normally I would agree with you, my Lord, but look at the way the tracks are spaced out. As you know, bears have four legs. If you look at these, it looks like it was walking on two legs, not four."

As Sir Leon continued to examine the ground, he saw what the village leader meant. The prints on the ground definitely resembled those belonging to a bear, but they were spaced oddly. It looked more like a two legged creature had made the tracks. "Miles is right. There's something off about them. I think we need to follow them."

Going back to the main area of the village, the knights collected their horses and set off towards the forest. The entered through the gap in the trees and began following the strange tracks. They twisted through the forest, sometimes leading the knights in places that were difficult for the horses to walk through.

The knights were surprised when they realized that the tracks had led them to a small clearing. They were even more surprised when they realized that the clearing showed signs of someone having been there before them. Signaling for the knights to halt, Sir Leon dismounted from his horse and walked forward to the small camp site.

"Someone was definitely here before. By the looks of it, it was abandoned." Sir Leon continued to gaze around the clearing, looking for any clues that would hint at what had happened.

Behind him, Sir Jarvis spoke saying, "Sir, you need to come and look at this."

Turning around, Sir Leon made his way over to the other man. He was pointing his finger at something lying on the ground. He approached the object and knelt down beside it. "It's a sword," Sir Jarvis said. Sir Leon picked it up and looked at it carefully. There was something about it that looked familiar. He inspected the sword carefully. He examined the hilt of the sword, noticing something carved into it. Looking more closely, Sir Leon received a surprise. A small wolf was carved into the hilt of the sword, an image he very familiar with. When he realized what the image was, the sword dropped from his grasp. One of the knights with him was not going to be happy.

"What's wrong?" Sir Fabian asked. Sir Leon sighed. This was the last man he wanted to talk to at the moment.

Getting up from the ground, Sir Leon turned to face his knights. "I'm pretty certain that I know who was in the clearing."

"Who was here? How do you know?" Sir Fabian asked.

Sir Leon closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. He could not keep the information from the young man any longer. He deserved to know. Opening his eyes back up, Sir Leon passed the sword to Fabian. "Look at the image on the hilt."

Sir Fabian did as he was told and looked at the hilt. His eyes opened wide and the sword fell from his grasp. His mouth opened and closed several times before he could get any words to leave his mouth. "This is my brother's sword…but…why would it just be lying on the ground? He's a knight! He wouldn't go anywhere without it."

"Fabian, relax. I'm sure Andrew's alright."

"How can you say that? We just found his sword, something he never leaves just lying around, on the ground. Not to mention we just followed the tracks of a possibly dangerous beast directly to his camp site. Something has happened to Andrew, and we need to find out what happened!"

"Look, there's no-" but Sir Leon was cut off before he could finish his sentence.

"Leon! Come and look at this!" Sir Hirum shouted. Sir Leon was beginning to hate those words. He walked over to Sir Hirum and instantly saw what the other man wanted him to see. Before them was a path leading into the forest, but it was no ordinary path. The path had been made by force. That much he could tell by the amount of broken limbs, trampled grass, and scattered leaves across the ground.

"Something tells me Sir Andrew ran into the beast while he was here. Whatever happened, it cannot have been good."

Sir Leon, Sir Jarvis, Sir Hirum, and a very distraught Sir Fabian set off to follow the path. They led their horses along the path, constantly alert for any signs of Sir Andrew or the creature. With each minute that passed, Sir Leon was becoming more and more concerned. He was worried about what they would eventually find. Several times they had stopped along the path to examine bits of red cloth they found caught in the limbs of trees or bushes. They had even found signs of blood in a couple of places.

Riding at the front of the group, Sir Leon was the first to see the body lying in the middle of the forest floor. He held up his hand to signal the group to stop and then dismounted his horse. He approached the body carefully, aware that the creature could still be in the forest. He stopped when he recognized the body. It was Sir Andrew's. He heard the other knights walk up behind him. His heart broke as he saw Sir Fabian rush forward and drop to his knees beside the body of his brother. The young man broke down and began to sob uncontrollably. Sir Leon didn't blame him. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to come across your brother in such a manner.

One thing concerned Sir Leon about the body. He knew that the man had most likely been attacked by the creature they were tracking. He found himself confused as he continued to look at the body. Other than the small cuts made from branches, there were no other marks on the man's body. Sir Andrew's eyes were open, a look of terror plastered on his face. If there was one thing that Sir Leon knew for sure, it was that they were facing a creature the likes of which he had never seen. He needed to get back to Camelot and inform King Uther and Prince Arthur as quickly as possible.

* * *

><p><strong>Let me know what you thought of this chapter!<strong>

**Episode 2 of Season 4 comes on tonight. I'm so excited!**


	3. Ch 3:  Gaius' Idea

**Chapter 3 is finally done. It took me forever to actually sit down and type it up today. As I promised, the characters from The Ranger's Apprentice Series were at least mentioned this chapter. The crossover part of this story is finally starting to take shape.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own _Merlin _or _The Ranger's Apprentice Series._**

* * *

><p>Sir Leon had never been so glad to see Camelot as he was right now. He let out a sigh of relief as he and his fellow knights entered through the city gates. Once through them, he picked up his pace, intent on reaching the castle as soon as possible. Out of the corner of his eye, Sir Leon noticed Sir Fabian looking withdrawn. He couldn't blame the younger knight. As soon as they had reported to the king and prince, he would be sent home to deliver the tragic news to his parents that they now had one less child.<p>

When they reached the castle courtyard, Sir Leon and the other knights quickly dismounted. He had Sir Hirum and Sir Jarvis take Sir Andrew's body to Gaius, asking them to have Gaius meet him in the council chambers. After handing the reins of his horse off to a stable boy, he called out to a young man he saw heading towards the castle. "Merlin! Come here for a moment."

Merlin jogged over to where he was standing. "I need you to run and tell Prince Arthur and the king that we have returned. Tell them both that we have some urgent information that needs to be shared." Merlin nodded his head in response and then went running off into the castle. Sir Leon made his way to the king's council room so that he could deliver his report.

* * *

><p>Arthur was sitting at the desk in his room trying to finish up the last couple of reports that were in front of him. He was almost finished with them when he heard someone come crashing in through the door. Arthur didn't bother to look up from his papers. He already knew who it was. "What have I said about knocking, Merlin?"<p>

"Arthur, you know I never listen to you. Besides, there are more important matters for you to be concerned with right now. Sir Leon and the other knights you sent with him have returned." Arthur looked up at Merlin when he said those words. He had been expecting Sir Leon's arrival. "He asked me to pass on a message for him. He said that he had some urgent information that you and the king should hear."

Upon hearing the request, Arthur got up from his desk and began walking towards the council chambers. He vaguely noticed Merlin trailing behind him. His mind was swirling with different thoughts. The most prominent was the urgent information Sir Leon had for him and his father. He did not know why, but he had a feeling that whatever the news was, it would not be good.

When he reached the council chambers, two guards opened the door for him. Merlin went off to stand next to Gaius, while he continued to walk forward towards his father. After reaching his father, he bowed his head a little and then stood at his father's side. Sir Leon walked forward and bowed to them both.

Arthur listened to his father as he said, "What news do you bring us, Sir Leon?"

Arthur watched as Sir Leon bowed his head. "Sire, I wished to inform you that we investigated the rumors that you sent us to inquire about. But that's not the only thing I have to report on." Sir Leon paused for a moment before continuing. "While we were investigating, we came across the body of Sir Andrew."

"Arthur, wasn't that the knight you sent out to handle the dispute in one of the border villages?" King Uther asked.

Arthur turned towards his father before answering. "Yes, Sire. He was supposed to be back a few days ago, but I just thought it had taken a little longer than expected for him to handle the dispute." Arthur turned towards Sir Leon in order to ask a question of his own. "Where did you find Sir Andrew's body?"

"We found him lying dead in the middle of the forest floor. He would never have been found if we hadn't been sent to check out those rumors," Sir Leon answered.

"How did you manage to find him?" Arthur asked.

Sir Leon replied, "The village leader of Tenebris was telling us about the rumors flying around the village. He wanted to show us some strange tracks they had found near the edge of the forest. Upon seeing them, I had to agree that they weren't ordinary, so the other knights and I followed them."

"Wait," King Uther said. "Why was so strange about the tracks?"

"They looked like bear tracks, but they weren't spaced out correctly. It looked more like a two legged creature had walked through instead of a bear." When the king just nodded his head, Sir Leon continued. "They led us to a small clearing with an abandoned camp site. There, Sir Jarvis found a sword lying on the ground. Sir Fabian was able to confirm that the sword belonged to Sir Andrew.

"Along the edge of the clearing, Sir Hirum found a path that Sir Andrew had made as he had run through the forest. We followed the path, finding bits and pieces of his cloak as we road along. Eventually, we found his body lying on the ground."

The people gathered in the council chambers were quiet as they took in the news Sir Leon had delivered to them. Arthur was more than a little worried. What could have caused one of his knights to lose their sword and then go fleeing into the forest? There was something unusual about all of this.

Arthur realized he had let his mind wander. He focused back on his father, who was currently speaking to Gaius. "Have you had a chance to examine the body?"

"Not yet, Sire. The body was just brought in when I was informed I was needed here. I'll take a look as soon as I get back to my chambers."

King Uther nodded his head and then addressed everyone who was present. "You are all dismissed. Arthur, you and Sir Leon are to talk over everything he has found. Gaius, try and find out the cause of Sir Andrew's death. Send word to me as soon as you find something." With that, everyone exited the room.

On his way out, Arthur grabbed Merlin by the arm and said, "Don't worry about attending to me tonight. I want you focus on helping Gaius." Once that was said, Arthur turned and walked back to his chambers, mind filled with various thoughts.

* * *

><p>Gaius, meanwhile, was back in his chambers, staring at the body of Sir Andrew. Merlin was standing next to him, waiting to be told what he could do to help. "Look at his body. The only thing wrong is that his face and hands are covered in small scratches, but if he was running through the forest, that would only be natural. None of them are in any way life threatening."<p>

In all honesty, Gaius was somewhat puzzled. He continued to stare at the body in front of him, trying to think of a likely answer to the problem. It was while he was looking at the dead man's face that an idea came to him. "Merlin, look at his face. It's frozen into a look of terror."

"I don't see how that helps us," Merlin replied.

"Sir Leon mentioned that they were following tracks that were similar to a bears…but that the spacing of the prints was all wrong…" Gaius let his voice trail off. He ignored the questions of his ward as he went over to another table and grabbed the necessary items to write a letter. He brought them back over to where he had previously been and began writing furiously.

"Gaius, who are you writing to?" Merlin asked him.

Glancing up, he replied, "A friend of mine lives over in the kingdom of Araluen. I have my suspicions as to what the cause of this young man's death was. My friend will know if I'm right."

"What do you think we're dealing with, Gaius?" Merlin asked.

Gaius stared at the young man in front of him. He waited a moment before replying, "If I'm correct, and I really hope that I'm not, then we're dealing with something called a Kalkara."

* * *

><p><strong>Last night's episode of <em>Merlin <em>was incredible! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Chapter 4 will be up as soon as I can get it all typed up. **


	4. Ch 4:  A New Mission

**As I promised, this chapter is all about the Ranger's Apprentice group! It took me forever to sit down and type it all up. I had to finish up some AP Gov homework that took a long time to finish, but I finally managed to find the time to get this done. This is the longest thing I've written from Halt's point of view, so I hope it turned out okay.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own _Merlin _or _The Ranger's Apprentice Series._**

* * *

><p>It had taken Halt and Will three days to reach the Gathering Grounds, a place where the Rangers met each year to exchange any news that they had. Along the way, Halt and his new apprentice had run into his former apprentice, Gilan. Between Will and Gilan, Halt was about ready to pull his beard out. The two were constantly joking around with each other, making fun of Halt, and asking as many questions as they possibly could. It was with great relief that Halt realized that they had finally reached their destination.<p>

When they arrived, Halt noticed that the grounds were filled with their normal bustle of activity. The small clearing amongst the trees was filled with various Rangers running about. Small, one man tents were lined up in neat rows. Columns of smoke could be seen rising into the air from the cooking fires. In the distance, Halt spotted an archery range with several Rangers practicing their archery skills. Along the side of the clearing, small and shaggy Ranger's horses were grazing.

Halt sent Will and Gilan to go and find them a decent camp site. While they were doing that, Halt traveled to the very center of the camp where a large pavilion had been set up. He needed to inform Crowley that he, Gilan, and Will had finally arrived.

Approaching the tent, Halt weaved in and out of various other Rangers, nodding his head in greeting to a few of them as he passed by. Once inside, he looked around for the Corps Commandant. He saw the man standing by a table, talking with some of the other men. Halt walked over towards the man.

When he arrived, he waited for Crowley to look up and notice his presence. With him being a Ranger, Halt did not have to wait long. "Halt, you finally arrived! It's good to see you again."

"Hello, Crowley. Gilan's here too. I sent him with Will to go and get our camp site set up," Halt responded.

Crowley nodded his head. "I forgot that you had gotten yourself another apprentice. How's he doing? Oh! I've got something to give you. Hold on one minute."

Halt continued to stand where he was, watching as the Corps Commandant searched for whatever he was looking for. It took him several minutes to sift through the papers and maps that littered the table before him, but he eventually found what he was looking for. Smiling, Crowley handed a letter over to Halt. "This arrived right before I left to come to the Gathering. I don't know why I ended up with it since it's clearly marked with your name, but it doesn't matter I guess. You received it in the end."

Halt raised his eyebrow, curious about who the letter was from. He very rarely received any personal letters. Usually, he only received various reports from other Rangers about what was going on in the surrounding fiefs. He muttered a quick good-bye to Crowley and then exited the tent.

With the letter firmly grasped in his hand, Halt made his way over to where Gilan and Will were sitting. He accepted the cup of coffee Gilan handed him before going to sit on a log close to the fire. There, he opened up the letter he had just been given.

He was about to begin reading it when he heard, "Halt, what do you have there?"

Halt sighed. There was a reason he didn't take on too many apprentices. They always asked too many questions. Looking over at Will, Halt answered, "It's a letter."

"Oh. Who's it from?"

Once again, Halt sighed in exasperation. "I don't know yet. You haven't given me time to figure that out." Will gave him an apologetic look. Halt turned his attention back to his letter. He was surprised at what he read.

_Halt, it has been many years since we have last spoken. However, I am writing to you now with an important request. Here in Camelot recent events have become troubling. A Knight of Camelot was just returned to us dead. Normally, this would not be too concerning, but the events surrounding his death are rather curious. When I examined his body, I found no markings that indicated the cause of his death. The only noticeable feature of his body was his facial expression. His face was frozen into a mask of terror. The knights that brought him back reported that they had been following some strange tracks through the forest. They had also talked to several people who claimed to hear howling coming from the woods at night._

_I'm hoping that I am wrong, but his death reminds me of several that occurred many years ago when your own kingdom was going through a war. If I'm right, then Camelot is facing something that they have never dealt with before. Please, if you have any information pertaining to the Kalkara, tell me. Your old friend, Gaius. _

For a moment, Halt stared down at the letter. If what Gaius said was true, that could only mean one thing. Getting up from the log he was sitting on, Halt walked back towards the pavilion. He ignored the questions Gilan and Will asked him, instead concentrating on reaching Crowley. He rushed passed many people on his way, ignoring them when they greeted him or asked him something.

When he reached Crowley, he roughly shoved Gaius' letter into his hands. "Read this. I have a feeling that we might have a problem on our hands." Halt watched Crowley's face as he read the letter. He could tell that Crowley was just as surprised as he was.

"What do you think this means?" Crowley asked.

"You know just as well as I do what this could mean. If the Kalkara are out once again, that must mean Morgarath is up to something again." Halt answered.

Crowley let out a sigh. "We knew he was going to try something again one of these days, but you would have thought it would be against Araluen, not Camelot. What could he gain by going after Camelot?"

Halt paused before answering to gather his thoughts. "I honestly don't know. The only possible reason I can think of is that he's made an alliance with someone. Whatever his reason, it's going to mean trouble not only for Camelot, but for us as well."

"What I don't understand is how we didn't notice he was up to something. Surely one of the Rangers would have noticed something was going on." Crowley said.

"I was thinking the same thing. If he's only sent out the Kalkara, then that might be why. There's what, only two of them left now? And they weren't going after people here in our kingdom. It is completely possible that we could have missed them."

"Halt, I want you and your apprentice to travel to Camelot and go after the Kalkara. Make yourself known to King Uther and explain the situation to him. I'll have Gilan tell Barron Arald where you've gone and another Ranger will look after your fief while you're away. It's important that we stop Morgarath early while we still can."

"Will and I will leave as soon as we can." With that being said, Halt left the pavilion for the second time that day and headed back to the camp site. When he arrived, he spoke to Will saying, "You need to pack your stuff back up. Crowley's just given us a mission. We're to leave immediately."

"What's wrong, Halt?" Gilan asked.

Halt turned to look at his former apprentice. "You'll need to get ready as well. Crowley will need you to run some errands for him. As for your question…" Halt paused, not sure what to say yet.

"Halt?" Gilan asked again.

"We've just received word from Camelot that a Kalkara might have been sighted, which means only one thing. Morgarath is up to something. Will and I are being sent to go and deal with it."

Halt watched as Gilan's mouth dropped open and a puzzled look came over Will's face. Halt, more than anything, was not looking forward to facing the Kalkara, but it had to be done.

* * *

><p><strong>There's the end of another chapter! Please tell me what you thought!<strong>


	5. Ch 5:  Arrival

**Halt and Will are finally going to meet some of the _Merlin _characters today! I hope that you all enjoy this chapter. Please tell me what you think at the end.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own _Merlin _or _The Ranger's Apprentice Series_.**

* * *

><p>Will rode beside Halt as they approached the city gates of Camelot. Even though he knew they were there on a dangerous mission, he could not help getting a little excited about finally getting the chance to travel to another kingdom. He looked up over the top of the gates. He could see the banners with the Pendragon crest on them waiving in the breeze.<p>

He and Halt joined the crowd entering through the city gates. They were about to make their way through when they were stopped by one of the guards that were standing at the entrance to the city. "Stop right there you two," the guard said. Will noticed that Halt was raising his eyebrows into the air. "What's your business in Camelot?"

Even though being stopped at the gates was slightly annoying, Will could understand why they had been stopped. They were strangers, both clothed in dark clothing with strange cloaks. Plus, each of them carried a bow and a quiver full of arrows. Will turned his attention back to Halt as he answered the guard's question. "We're here to see the Court Physician, Gaius."

The guards continued to give them both a suspicious glare, but he allowed them to pass through the gates. "Halt, where are we going to keep Tug and Abelard while we go and see the physician?"

Will watched as Halt turned his head towards him. "Where do you think, boy? We'll find an inn to stay in before going into the castle itself. If it's like most inns, it will have a stable that we can house the horses in."

Will nodded his head, thinking that his question had been a little pointless. As they made their way through the streets, Will allowed himself to look around. The streets were filled with various people making their way through the streets. The sounds of laughter and people talking could be heard everywhere, making it hard for Will to hear his own thoughts. All in all, Camelot was not so different from Castle Redmount. It was just a tad bit…bigger.

Will was brought from his musings when he suddenly realized that Halt had been talking to him. "Will? Have you been listening to a word I've said?"

From past experience, Will knew it would do no good to try and pretend that he had been listening to what Halt was saying. Instead, he looked at Halt and said, "Sorry, Halt. What were you saying?"

Halt sighed in exasperation. He then muttered quietly to himself something that Will could not make out, and said, "There's an inn right over there. Let's try and get a room there."

The two headed over to the building that Halt had indicated. A large sign proclaimed the place to be called The Rising Sun Tavern. They dismounted from their horses and looped their reins over a rail. Halt then led the way into the building, pulling up the hood of his cloak as he did so. Will followed his lead, pulling up his hood and then stepping into the building. He stayed behind Halt as he talked with a man at the bar. Will saw money exchanged, which he took to mean that the two now had a place to stay during their time in Camelot.

"Go take the horse around back to the stables. I'll take our belongings and put them in our room," Halt told Will. Will went to do as he was told. He handed their bags to Halt and then took the reins of the horses and led them towards the stables. After seeing that the horses were properly looked after, he met Halt back in front of the inn.

"Let's go to the castle now. We need to meet with Gaius as soon as possible." With that being said, the two headed towards the castle. They entered and began walking down a corridor, trying to find someone so they could ask directions. Eventually, they came across a maid, who in Will's opinion was very pretty. She had dark skin, long curly hair, and a sweet smile.

"Excuse me, but could you point us in the direction of the Court Physician's chambers?" Halt asked the maid.

The maid gave them a look, obviously curious about their mottled gray and green cloaks. She shook off her curiosity and answered their question. "If you keep following this corridor to the very end you'll come to staircase on the left-hand side. Just go up those stairs and you'll see a sign right outside his door."

"Thank you," Halt said.

Will gave the girl a smile as they passed her by. He and Halt continued down the corridor, eventually coming to the set of stairs that the maid had indicated. They climbed to the top. There, Will noticed a sign clearly labeling the entrance to the physician's chambers.

Reaching the door, Halt raised his fist and knocked on the door. They waited outside for several seconds, but they received no indication that they had been heard. Halt knocked one more time, but the same thing happened. Shrugging, Halt proceeded to open the door and step inside, followed closely by Will.

Will was amazed by what he found inside. The room was a complete jumble of clutter. There were multiple tables in the room, each covered with different objects. One held all sorts of vials and jars, each containing mysterious liquids. Another table held gigantic books, some showing pages with strange illustrations. He even saw a table with a creepy rabbit mask on it. Why the physician would keep such a thing in his chambers was beyond Will.

It soon became clear to Will that there was no one in the room. "Halt, I don't think there's anyone in here."

"I never would have guessed," was all Halt said in response.

A question popped into Will's head. He debated about whether or not he should ask it, eventually deciding to go for it. "Halt, what are we going to do now?"

"We're going to wait until Gaius returns. We don't have any other choice," Halt answered. Halt and Will stood in silence. Will grew bored of just standing there and went about exploring the room. He was just beginning to look at the books on Gaius' shelves, when he heard the door open.

Out of habit, both he and Halt drew back into the shadows, waiting to see who had entered the room. Will watched as a young man a couple years older than himself entered the room. He looked somewhat annoyed, possibly because he was covered in a very unpleasant substance. He did not even realize that the room he had entered was occupied by two other people. The man walked right past Halt and Will, muttering something about a pompous prat, and went up a set of stairs in the back of the room. He came back down several minutes later and poured some water into a bowl. He began to wash off his face and arms.

Glancing over at Halt, Will watched as his older companion stepped forward out of the shadows. "Excuse me-" Halt was cut off by the startled sound that came out of the man. Will hid a smile as he watched the man's head shoot up and glance about the room. His glance finally landed on Halt.

"What are you doing in here?" the man asked.

"We're here to see the Gaius," Halt answered.

"Oh, well Gaius is out doing his rounds right now. He should be back soon, though," the man informed them.

Halt nodded his head. The three men stood in the center of the room. An awkward silence filled the room. Will was on the verge of feeling extremely uncomfortable when he heard the sound of the door opening again. The man standing in front of him visibly relaxed at the sound.

An old man came into Will's view. He had long white hair and was wearing a strange blue robe. Slung over his should was a bag where Will assumed he kept his supply of medicines.

"Merlin, there you are. I need you to run and-" The man cut himself off when he noticed that there were other people in the room. Will watched the old man turn his head back and forth between him and Halt. A look of recognition came across the man's face.

"Halt? Is that you?" he asked.

Halt stepped towards the man who Will assumed to be Gaius. "Gaius, it's been a long time. We came as soon as we received your letter."

A look of relief came over not only Gaius' face, but Merlin's as well. "Thank God, Halt. I fear that Camelot will be in trouble if we don't figure something out soon."

"I agree, Gaius. Camelot's not the only one in trouble, though. If my suspicions are correct, Araluen will be in trouble as well. The sooner we get to the bottom of this, the better."

"What do you mean, Halt?" Gaius asked.

Will watched as a troubled look appeared on Halt's face. "If the Kalkara are once again causing trouble than that can only mean one thing. Morgarath is once again planning something."

* * *

><p><strong>I should probably mention that I start school again soon. Once that happens, I might not be able to update every day like I have been. I'll try my best to update as often as I can.<strong>


	6. Ch 6: Informing the King

**I'm not very sure about how this chapter turned out, but after this, things should start picking up. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own _Merlin _or _The Ranger's Apprentice_**_** Series. **_

* * *

><p>Merlin watched as Gaius gasped in surprise. "You believe Morgarath is behind this once again? But what possible reason could he have for sending the Kalkara to Camelot?"<p>

"I was wondering the same thing. The only possible thing I can think of is that he has made an alliance with someone here in Camelot," Halt replied.

Merlin locked eyes with Gaius. Both of them had the same idea. There could really only be two people in Camelot that would make such an alliance. Turning his head towards Halt, Merlin spoke for the first time. "Morgana and Morgause must be behind this then."

Will stepped forward to speak. "Who are they? Why would they join with Morgarath?"

Gaius sadly shook his head. "Morgana and Morgause are sisters. Until recently, Morgana was the ward of King Uther. He believes that she was kidnapped by Morgause, but that sadly isn't the truth. Morgana has turned her back on Camelot and is bent on seeing it destroyed."

The group fell silent as they all considered the new information they had all received. "We're going to have to inform the king about this. He needs to know that his kingdom is in danger," Halt said.

Gaius sighed. "I agree, but we can't tell him Morgana might be involved. The king won't accept any accusations against the girl."

"Well, if that's the case, than we can just tell him about Morgarath making a possible alliance with Morgause," Merlin said. Gaius nodded his head. The group once again went silent.

Suddenly, the sounds of boots stomping up the stairs could be heard. Merlin put his face in his hands before saying, "It's going to be Arthur and I'm going to be in so much trouble. I forgot to bring him his lunch." Gaius gave Merlin a look that clearly said he deserved to be in trouble.

Moments later, the door to the physician's chamber crashed open and a very angry prince walked in. "_Mer_lin! You better have a good reason as to why you did not bring me my lunch. I can't believe-" Arthur cut himself off when he saw that there was a small group of people standing in the room.

"I'm sorry, Arthur, but I got a little distracted. Gaius' friends have finally arrived and they can now help us," Merlin quickly said.

"What?" the prince asked.

"Sire, let me explain. When Sir Andrew was brought to my chambers, I thought that his death seemed strange. After examining his body closer, I realized that his death resembled some of the deaths that I had come across many years ago. I wrote to my friend," here Gaius gestured to Halt, "and asked him if he had any information that he could share. Halt just arrived not that long ago," Gaius explained.

Arthur nodded his head in response to what the Court Physician said. "So you know what the cause of Sir Andrew's death was?"

"I'm afraid so, Sire, and it doesn't look good."

"Tell me," Arthur commanded.

"Perhaps it would be better to share this with your father at the same time," Gaius replied.

Arthur nodded his head in agreement and then turned to Merlin. "Go and inform my father that Gaius has some information that he would like to share with the court. After you're done, meet us in the council chambers."

Merlin nodded his head and then ran out of the room. He tripped slightly going down the stairs, but quickly caught himself. Running through the castle, Merlin managed to barely avoid several collisions with passing servants. Eventually, he made it to Uther's chambers. The guards in front of the door stopped him, one of them asking in a gruff voice, "What do you want with the king?"

Panting slightly, Merlin replied, "Prince Arthur sent me to deliver a message for him." The guards allowed him to approach the door. He was about to enter, when he remembered it would be a good idea to actually knock. Reaching up, he knocked on the door and then waited for permission to enter.

From within, Merlin heard the king call out, "Enter."

Merlin opened the door and stepped into Uther's chambers. The man was sitting at his desk, quill in hand, looking slightly annoyed at the interruption. Walking forward, Merlin bowed to the king.

"What is it you want?" Uther asked him.

"Sire, Prince Arthur sent me to deliver a message to you," Merlin replied.

Uther just stared at him. "Are you going to tell me the message?" the man said gruffly.

Merlin winced to himself. The king probably thought he was an even bigger idiot than usual. "Of course, Sire. The prince wanted me to tell you that Gaius has found out some information regarding Sir Andrew's death. He requests that you meet him in the council chambers."

Uther set the quill he was holding down on the table. "Very well. Tell my son I will be there shortly." With that being said, the king waved his hand in a dismissive manner. Merlin quickly exited the room.

With that task done, he made his way to the council chambers. By the time he arrived, Arthur, Gaius, Halt, and Halt's companion were already there. Merlin made his way to Arthur's side and informed him that the king was on his way. He then turned to Halt's companion and said, "Do you want to come and stand by me?"

The man gave him a smile and said, "Sure."

The two made their way over to the side of the council chambers. There, they would be out of the way, but still able to hear what was going on. Turning his head to his new companion, Merlin decided to start a conversation. "So, what's your name?"

The man turned towards Merlin and replied, "I'm Will. I guess I don't really need to ask your name." Both men laughed quietly.

A question popped into Merlin's mind, something that he was dying to know. "Why do you and Halt wear the strange cloaks?"

Will quickly looked down at the cloak he was wearing. "The cloaks are part of a Ranger's outfit. We never go anywhere without them."

"I see…what's a Ranger?" Merlin asked.

"I guess you wouldn't know. Rangers are an intelligence force that work for the king of Araluen. Halt's one of the best there is and I'm currently his apprentice," Will explained.

Merlin was not given the chance to ask any more questions. Right as he opened his mouth, the king entered the room and sat down in his chair. Merlin turned his head towards the men gathered before the king.

"Gaius, I have a reason to believe that you know something about Sir Andrew's death?" the king asked.

Gaius stepped forward and bowed his head. "Yes, Sire, but I think it would be better if Halt told you the information." Stepping aside, Gaius allowed Halt to walk forward.

The man did not bow his head or offer any other form of respect. He instead chose to just start talking. "My name's Halt. I'm a Ranger from the kingdom of Araluen. Gaius wrote to me the day Sir Andrew was brought back here. In his letter, Gaius said that he suspected Sir Andrew had been killed by a creature known as the Kalkara."

"I've never heard of such a creature before," the king replied.

"Not many people have, but they are very dangerous. Their appearance is cause for great worry," Halt informed the king.

Arthur stepped forward to ask a question of his own. "Besides the fact that they're dangerous, what do we need to be worried about?"

Halt shared a look with Gaius. "Where I come from, a man named Morgarath used them during the last war we had with him. Gaius and I believe that the appearance of these creatures means that Morgarath is once again up to something."

"But why is would he be targeting Camelot?" Arthur questioned.

Gaius stepped forward once again to answer the prince's question. "We believe that Morgause sought out an alliance with Morgarath. The alliance would increase her chances of taking over Camelot."

The king spoke again, saying, "She's the sorceress who kidnapped Morgana is she not?" When Gaius nodded his head, Uther continued, "Whatever her plans are, they need to be stopped. Camelot will not succumb to a sorceress as long as I am king." With that, he slammed his hand down on the arm of his chair. He then turned to Arthur and said, "Arthur, I want you to gather some knights and hunt down these Kalkara. Make sure you bring the Ranger with you since he knows so much about them."

"Yes, Sire," Arthur responded.

With that, the people in the council chambers dispersed. Merlin grabbed Will by the arm and led him out of the room. They caught up with Arthur, Halt, and Gaius and fell into step with them. Arthur was currently talking with Halt.

"I'm going to need to know everything you can tell me about these things. I need to know how they can be defeated, how many people you think will be needed to kill them, and where they will most likely be found. We need to move out as soon as possible," Arthur said.

"You need to slow down, boy," Halt said. Arthur raised an eyebrow at being called a boy. Merlin struggled to hold in a laugh when he saw the prince's facial expression. Halt continued talking, ignoring the prince's look. "Killing the Kalkara will be no easy task. You're going to need a very good plan in order to accomplish this, which means you can't just go rushing off."

Arthur did not respond for a while, but he eventually said, "Fine. We'll go to my chambers and begin making plans," He then turned his attention to Merlin. "You can go and bring some lunch to my chambers since you neglected to do that earlier."

With that, everyone except Merlin went in the direction of Arthur's chambers. Merlin set off towards the kitchens, thinking that the next couple of days were going to be very busy.

* * *

><p><strong>So there's the end of this chapter. Tomorrow I start school again and I probably won't be able to update. I'll do my best to update by Friday at the lates. Tell me what you thought of this chapter please.<strong>


	7. Ch 7: Not What was Planned

**Chapter 7 is finally here. It's a bit shorter than some of the other chapters, and for that I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I haven't updated this for the past two days, but school has been keeping me busy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own _Merlin _or _The Ranger's Apprentice Series._**

* * *

><p>Morgause sat at a table, staring intently at the bowl of water placed in front of her. Her face was scrunched in concentration and her mouth moved slightly as she muttered to herself. Before her, an image of the king of Camelot could be seen with his son standing next to him. The Court Physician and a man in a strange cloak were standing in front of the king and prince. Off to the side, the prince's manservant and another cloaked stranger were standing.<p>

As she watched the scene play out before her, Morgause became more and more angry. The appearance of the strange cloaked men had definitely changed things, and she was not happy about it. When the figures in the scene dispersed, she angrily released the spell she had been using. She stood up and began pacing back and forth across her tiny chamber.

While she was pacing, the door to her chamber suddenly banged open. Looking up, Morgause watched as a man walked into the room. The man was very tall and pale. His eyes were dark and contained no kindness in them. In Morgause's opinion, the man looked a bit like a vulture. She frowned slightly upon seeing him.

"Morgarath, what do you need?" Morgause asked, attempting to not show her distaste for the man.

"I came to see how your scying was going. Have you learned anything of importance?" Morgarath replied.

Morgause stared at the man before her. She disliked the man. She had only gone to the man because Morgana insisted that an alliance between them and the Lord of the Mountains of Rain and Night would secure them a victory over Camelot. Eventually, she answered the man's question. "The Court Physician, Gaius, has discovered the cause of Sir Andrew's death. He has informed the king of what he knows. What I find curious, though, is that he brought some strange cloaked men with him when he informed the king."

Morgarath's eyes narrowed upon hearing her information. "Describe these men," he commanded.

"There were two of them. One was significantly older than the other. Both were wearing cloaks of mottled gray and green," Morgause explained.

A look of pure hatred crossed Morgarath's face. "Tell me, did you happen to hear any names?"

Morgause nodded her head in response and then said, "Gaius referred to the man as Halt." A look of absolute hatred appeared on the man's face. His eyes flashed menacingly.

"What do you know of these men?" Morgause asked him.

"Those men are part of a group of people known as Rangers and they ruin everything. I would have won that war if it wasn't for them," Morgarath's voice trailed off. They sat in silence for a moment before Morgarath began to speak again. "I won't let that man ruin my plans this time around."

Morgause tilted her head to the side, observing the man in front of her. The Ranger Halt and him must have a complicated past for him to display such a level of hate for the man. The thought made her smile. "Perhaps this is a good thing," she said.

Morgarath had been pacing, but he stopped when he heard what she said. "A good thing? I don't see how this could be a good thing. Please, enlighten me."

"King Uther has told the Ranger to go with his son to track down the Kalkara. The Kalkara are extremely difficult to kill, making their chances of killing them almost nonexistent. Perhaps the man will get in the way of the Kalkara and get himself killed," Morgause said.

"One can only hope…" Morgarath muttered before walking out of room. Morgause smiled to herself, enjoying the man's displeasure.

She cast aside her amusement and began thinking about the appearance of the Rangers. By himself, Morgause knew that Arthur would not be able to defeat the Kalkara. Even with the help of his knights, his chances of surviving were very slim. He was completely unfamiliar with the creatures and had no idea how to go about defeating them.

Now, however, she was not so sure. It was obvious that Halt knew a lot about the Kalkara. His appearance meant that Arthur's chances of success had now increased. Something would have to be done, and soon. But what could they do? Arthur needed to be killed by the Kalkara. Once he was dead, they would be one step closer to taking over Camelot.

Calling out with her mind, Morgause summed her sister. She waited for her sister to arrive in her chambers. She did not have to wait long. Morgana entered her room, a look of curiosity on her face.

"You needed me?" Morgana questioned.

"Uther and Arthur found out about the Kalkara. What complicates things is that two men arrived in Camelot today with knowledge of the creatures. Uther is sending them with Arthur to help track down and kill the Kalkara."

"Don't we want him to go after the Kalkara? I thought the point was for Arthur to go after the Kalkara and get himself killed," Morgana said. "The appearance of those men will make little difference in the end. Nothing short of magic will help Arthur keep the Kalkara from doing their job and killing him."

"Perhaps you're right…" Morgause said. However, she could not shake the feeling that their plan was not going to turn out the way they were hoping it would.

* * *

><p><strong>I hope this chapter turned out okay. Please tell me what you thought!<strong>


	8. Ch 8:  Bandits

**I'm not very happy with this chapter, but I hope you enjoy it anyway. While looking at some of my other chapters, I noticed a few grammar mistakes, so if you see any, please point them out. I can't tell you how happy I am that today is finally Friday.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own _Merlin _or _The Ranger's Apprentice Series._**

* * *

><p>Will, Halt, Arthur, Merlin, Sir Leon and one other knight left Camelot early the next morning. The night before, Arthur and Halt had stayed up late making plans. Arthur had questioned Halt over and over about the Kalkara, attempting to make some sort of plan.<p>

Will was a little depressed about their chances of finding and killing the Kalkara. From what Halt had said, the last time people had set out to kill the Kalkara, it had taken three fully armored knights and two of them had died during the attempt. To make matters worse, none of them knew where the Kalkara could be found. They had last been seen in some of the border villages towards the north of Camelot. That was the direction the group was now heading in. It was the best place to start their search.

As Will rode along, he petted the shaggy mane of his horse, Tug. He was nervous about their search, but he knew that he needed to try and calm himself. Turning his head, he looked over at Merlin. He had a thoughtful look on his face. "What are you thinking about?" Will asked.

Merlin remained silent for a minute before saying, "I was thinking about what Halt had said last night. From what he said, it doesn't sound like we have a very good chance of killing the Kalkara."

"I was just thinking the same thing. I'm sure Halt will come up with something. He's always able to come up with a solution to everything," Will replied.

Merlin nodded his head. Their conversation died down, and Will started listening to the conversation Halt was having with the prince. They were once again talking about the Kalkara.

"Do they have any weaknesses that you can think of? Anything at all?" Arthur asked.

Halt scratched his chin as he thought of his answer. "They don't have many that we are aware of. Their bodies are covered in thick, matted fur that acts as a type of armor for them. However, their fur is highly flammable. That's the only one that I know of," Halt answered.

"How are we supposed to get close enough to catch their fur on fire?" Arthur said.

"That's what we need to figure out," replied Halt.

Their conversation was cut off when something went flying by the prince's head. A loud thunk from a crossbow bolt could be heard as it slammed into a tree. Will and Halt immediately brought their bows up, arrows knocked and ready to be released. Arthur, Sir Leon, and the other knight drew their swords. Merlin, lacking a weapon, twisted his head back and forth, looking for the source of the crossbow bolt.

From the trees, a large group of bandits came running. They all held swords and were letting out loud cries. Arthur and the knights dismounted from their horses and prepared themselves to meet the men. Following Halt's lead, Will stayed in the saddle and released an arrow. In the space of a few seconds, they had both released several arrows, killing some of the bandits. When the bandits were too close for their bows to be effective, they set them aside and drew their knives from their belts.

Will watched as Halt brought his arm back and then threw his knife, hitting one of the men directly in the chest. Before Will could throw his, a man was upon him, aiming a sword at his head. Trying to remember what Halt had taught him, he did his best to fend off the attack. Luckily, the man was not very good with a sword and he was able to stab the man and kill him. He fell to the ground with a thud.

Looking around, Will saw that everyone was busy fighting. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a bright flash of light and then saw a man that had been approaching him thrown into a tree. Turning his head around, he saw Merlin lowering his hand. Will was confused by Merlin's action. He was the only person that could have made the man go flying, but as far as he knew, Merlin had no weapon. How had he accomplished it then? He forgot his confusion as one of the bandits approached Merlin from behind. Without thinking, Will took his knife and threw it directly at the bandit. The knife hit the man squarely in the chest. A look of surprise crossed over Merlin's face.

Turning around, Will saw that the last of the bandits had been dealt with. He walked towards the bandit he had just killed. Bending down, he grabbed his knife and pulled it out of the man's chest. He cleaned the blade on the man's clothing and then put it away.

"Are you okay?" Will asked Merlin.

"Yes. Thanks for saving my life," Merlin said.

Will nodded his head. He was thinking about what Merlin had done earlier. There was only one way Merlin would have been able to kill that man, and that was magic. Stepping closer to Merlin, he said, "We're even now. I saw what you did to the one bandit." As he said that, he pointed towards the man that was lying at the base of a tree.

Merlin's reaction surprised him. His face went pale and a look of fear came over his face. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"But I saw you use mag-" he started to say, but was quickly cut off.

"Please, don't say that allowed," Merlin begged.

Before Will could question Merlin further, Arthur called out, "We need to get moving again! There might be more bandits running around and I would rather not run into them."

Merlin and Will walked to their horses and mounted them. The group set a quick pace, riding in complete silence. Once they were away from the site of the attack, Sir Leon said, "We haven't even been gone for a whole day and we have already been attacked."

The group just nodded their heads, choosing to ride in silence. To himself, Will could not help but think that the attack was a bad omen. If things continued the way they were, their search was going to be even harder than what they thought.

* * *

><p><strong>Please tell me what you thought of this chapter. I'll try my best to update this by Friday.<strong>


	9. Ch 9:  A Talk

**I'm sorry about not updating this yesterday and for this being a shorter than usual chapter. My life has been a little crazy here lately.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own _Merlin _or _The __Ranger's Apprentice Series._**

* * *

><p>Their group continued to travel late into the day. Everyone was on high alert so that they would know if they were about to be attacked once again. An hour before the sun was about to set, Arthur called the group to a stop. "We might as well make camp here. Leon, scout around the site to make sure there isn't anyone nearby. Merlin, go and gather some firewood."<p>

Everyone dismounted from their horses. Merlin was about to set off and find some firewood when he heard someone call his name. "Merlin, I'll go with you." Turning around to look, Merlin saw Will approaching him. He sighed to himself. He really did not want to face the questions he knew Will was going to be asking him, but he did not see a way to refuse the offer. With that thought in mind, he simply nodded his head and waited for the man to reach him.

Together, Will and Merlin walked into the forest. Merlin bent down and began collecting wood. Will started at him before beginning to help. They worked together in silence for a couple of minutes. The silence, however, did not last long.

"I wanted to talk to you about what happened earlier. I saw you use magic," Will said.

In his mind, Merlin was trying to figure a way out of his current situation. "Like I told you earlier, I don't know what you're talking about."

Will stopped collecting wood. He stood up straight and stared at Merlin intently. "Look, no one could make a man go flying into a tree without the use of magic. Besides, I know for a fact that you weren't carrying any sort of weapon with you."

Sighing, Merlin stood up straight as well. He knew that there was no point in lying to Will anymore. "Please, you can't tell anyone about what you saw, especially Arthur." Merlin watched as a look of confusion came over Will's face.

"Why can't anyone know?" Will asked.

Merlin did his best to explain. "Magic is illegal in Camelot. If anyone ever found out about my magic, I would be killed."

"If it's illegal, why are you living in Camelot?" Will questioned.

"My mother sent me here hoping that Gaius could help me learn how to control my magic better. Besides, someone has to keep the prince safe."

Nodding his head, Will bent down and started collecting firewood once again. Before they set off for the campsite, Will said, "I won't tell anyone about your magic."

Merlin felt relieved at hearing the words. "Thank you."

The two walked back to the campsite. Once there, Will set his pile of firewood next to Merlin's and went to sit by Halt. Merlin set to work getting the fire started and then doing several other chores. He set out his and Arthur's bedrolls. Once that was done, he went back to the fire and started getting supper ready. After it was done, he ladled portions of the stew into bowls for everyone.

The group sat around the fire, each person eating their meal in silence. Every now and then, Merlin would glance over towards Will, still worried about the young man knowing one of his greatest secrets. Eventually, Sir Leon broke the silence, directing his comments to Halt and Will. "I've never seen someone use a bow with such speed and skill before."

A small smile appeared on Halt's face. "I wouldn't be a Ranger if I couldn't use my bow that well."

"What exactly is a Ranger?" Arthur asked.

Halt turned his gaze towards Arthur. "We're basically the king's intelligence force. We keep our eyes open for any threat to the kingdom and when the job calls for it, we handle threatening situations. Merlin watched as a thoughtful look appeared on Arthur's face. He could tell that the prince was intrigued by the concept of Rangers.

The conversation died down once again. The group finished eating their meal. Merlin gathered the bowls and washed them before putting them away until they were needed again. Soon, everyone, except for one of the knights that had first watch, were lying in their bedrolls and sleeping.

Merlin had a hard time getting to sleep. He was mad at himself for exposing his magic to someone. In his mind, he knew that he had had no choice but to use his magic in order to live, but the thought did not make him feel any better. He needed to be more careful and more aware of what other people were doing around him. If he was not careful, he could end up exposing his magic to someone who was not as open as Will. Eventually, Merlin managed to drift off into an uneasy sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>I hoped everyone enjoyed this chapter. Please tell me what you thought.<strong>


End file.
